Chapter 28 Trapped in an illusionary past
Dumebledore paused at the entrance of the maze, making sure that everyone else had entered safely. Taking a final look at the outside of the maze, he walked in.
The surroundings immediately changed. It was still dark, and pitched black, however he was no longer in his previous location. Then slowly, light entered and everything became focused.
He was standing in a dimly lit place. Pillar after pillar rose toward the ceiling.
There were two cloaked people. They were busily immersed in what laid between them. Neither of them seemed to notice the entrance of the headmaster. Dumbledore strode closer and hovered over them, still there was no response. Sighing, he glanced down at the yellowing papers which they were staring at. His body froze at what he saw.
There, right before him in the center was the Marauder's Map. According to that they were within the Chamber of Secrets. However, this was not the sheet that attracted his attention. The one next to it was a detail description of James Potter's death warrant.
"Voldemort when shall this be carried out?" A third year Sirius asked an equally young Tom. "Lily would never approve."
"Lily needs not to know. She's my girl. That Potter must be dispose of."
Black remained silent.
"But that is not what is bothering you is it Sirius?"
"Hmm, its nothing, I'll carry it out. No one would ever suspect that his best friend killed him."
Tom nodded and then burst out laughing.
Dumbledore stood awed, as he realized he was witnessing the past. He knew that Potter and Riddle's feud went back a long time, but he never knew that at the age of 13 Black was capable of professional murder which included planning and taking out the order. This only proved to him how dangerous the now present Dark Lord was, especially when the teen is backed by complete Darkness. Dumbledore knew perfectly well that all Voldemort had was power and Black possessed everything else.
Black had corrupted an orphan, a half born into becoming the Dark Lord. The only reason that the headmaster could think that Black didn't become the Dark Lord himself was because he knew he did not have enough power. He was strong, but not quite. So why not from the very begining manipulate another to become the Dark Lord and work in the the shadows where he'll have complete power as the manipulator.
Krum found himself lost within the maze. So far he had not been attacked or blocked by any spells or creatures. However he had the oldest feeling that he was being followed and watched closely.
"Come out damn it! Come out!" The 20 year old hissed into Darkness. "POTTER! The past cannot kill me!"
A fireball was thrown straight at him. Flattening himself on the floor, it missed him by a fraction of an inch. Then something swished over his head. Once it left, he jolted back onto his feet to take a better look at what it was. His senses trembled as he remember the last time he had faced a normal sized Chinese Fireball and had barely made it out alive. This time the Dragon was enlarged so that Krum's vision was completely taken over by just the head of the dragon. He cursed but raised his wand all the same to fight the beast.
Dumbledore watched as memories became recent enough so that his version was still fresh in his mind. He watched sadly, carefully, wondering now how he could have missed all the evidence that could have sent Black to Azkaban or even received the Kiss as early as the age of 16.
Frustrated, at being pointed out all his mistakes, the headmaster muttered a simple "Stop" To his surprise, everything disappeared and the memories were gone.
"Feeling helpless?" A real live Sirius whispered, stepping towards the headmaster. Dumbledore, out of habit threw curses at the man. Black only held up his hand to show the ring he had gotten back from Remus. "I'm protected."
"You must hate me. You must have cursed me." Black whispered. "Must have loathed me to bone." Dumbledore didn't need to reply as his anger could be seen through his eyes. Then the anger disappeared and was replaced by a sense of weariness.
"Why?"
Black studied the headmaster, taken aback by the question.
"Why do you wish to cause havoc and destruction to a world that never did anything to you? Why would you take the innocence, pureness away from men and replace it with greed and the huger for power?"
"Why?" Black snapped, his temper rising. "You have no idea how much I suffered under the wrath of my mother. I was kicked out and erased from existence on my family tapestry! Umbridge and the Dursleys portrayed only specks of her personality."
As if to demonstrate this, Black took out his wand, stuck it in his head and pulled out a long silvery strand. Enlarging it, he allowed the headmaster to view his childhood, which rival the horrors within the maze itself.
Krum panted hard. He had defeated the Chinese fireball with an extremely high price. He was left to nothing, and was desperately clinging onto life. His body slumped onto the floor and he breathed heavily as he tried to suck in oxygen. He didn't know how long he stayed there but it felt like eternity when another being approached him.
"Here, I got you boy." Krum bleakly saw the hand and tried to place the awfully familiar voice.
"Headmaster?"
Karkaroff nodded, picking up the boy by his shoulder.
Krum screamed out at the pain caused by his dislocated shoulder. "
You disobeyed Master's orders." Krum's eyes widened at that as he was picked up off the ground. "and that is your punishment." Karkaroff pulled the boy close to his body, then force his favorite pupils gaze to fall upon his own.
"That Mudblood has corrupted you." He breathed down upon the young man. "and you will die unless you kill her."
Karkaroff did not finish for he felt something pierce his body. Then a soft Avada Kedava escaped the 20 year old. Karkaroff managed a 'why', before his body fell backwards and into the grass.
"because I love her and I'll give up everything for her. The Dark Lord would understand."
Dumbledore felt the world crashing down upon him. He couldn't imagine how this man before him had survived. It only proved to the headmaster that this man was a genius, a mastermind that should never have been crossed. Add a drop of hatred to a potentially deadly killer and the solution would be the next Dark Lord.
"I had to survive and endure the cruelty of the world at the age of three. At the age of eleven, I met Riddle and Potter, and I knew then and there that if I invested in these two people, I would one day be able to inflict the damages done to me back at the world." Black paused. "In time, Potter showed incapability so I knew that I had to get rid of him. The feud between James, Lily and Tom only covered my true intentions."
Black gave an insane laugh.
She was cornered by a young Death Eater. The person did not say anything except curses. From the looks of it, the Death Eater was inexperienced. Still, even so she found herself losing.
"Her…Hermy-nee…" She could see a figure pause behind the Death Eater. Then there was a quick flash of green light. The Death Eater fell silently onto his back.
"Her-my-nee"
"Vicktor?"
Krum hurried over to her. She stared at him shocked at his outer appearance. With a quick spell, she healed both their physical health. Taking his hand for comfort, she approached and took off the hood covering the Death Eater's face.
Hermione stared unbelievingly at the Death Eater that had moments before tried to kill her. She let her tears flow freely as she stared at the blank look of her red-head boyfriend. Unable to take it anymore, she turned and buried her head on her savior's shoulder.
"How, how, could he? Why? Why?"
Krum didn't reply, as he stared at Ron with a look of utmost disgust.
After settling down a bit, Krum related his own tale to her. However Hermione didn't seem to be listening. So instead the two walked on in silence.
Nearly half an hour later, the two found themselves in the center of the maze. There lit up by lightening was a trophy. Hermione was about to reach for it when a familiar clunking sound drew closer.
"Don't touch it Hermy-nee. Most likely a Portkey."
"Exactly. If you know what's best for you then stay away from him" a deep growl came, as Moody limped into view, his wooden legs causing a loud racket.
"Professor" Hermione acknowledge, however stopped as a second Mad-Eye appeared from the opposite direction.
"Granger out of the way, that guy is a fake!" The approaching Mad-Eye warned
Hermione and Vicktor looked between the identical men. The Moody standing next to them pulled out his wand and threw curses at the other one.
"Forget it! You don't give up, do you? Charms and Potions can never turn you into me."
Heeding to the first Moody's advice, they back away not because the other was a fake, they had no way of knowing it, but because they were in the crossfire.
Krum tugged Hermione's sleeve.
"Come on lets go first. I'm sure the real one would catch up. Mad-Eye isn't that likely to fall." Hermione didn't move. Her eyes gave a gleam and whispered something into Krum's ear. He too brightened up. Each conjured a cup of water, and headed towards one of the Mad-Eyes.
Krum approached one. This Moody gave him a skeptical look. "I only drink out of my own flask. You know that." The man said firmly.
"Trust me." Krum added. However, no matter what he did, the man would not drink it.
Hermione had taken her cup to the other Moody. She helped him sit and handed him the cup.
"Drink it." She spoke softly. The man kept staring at her with his one eye. They didn't say anything.
Finally, Mad-Eye said. "I trust you Hermione." Having said that, he drank the contents in the cup. Hermione waited for a while. Nothing happened. The enchanted water which should have revealed the imposter, did not take into effect. Slowly she pointed her wand at the man before her. Mad-Eye didn't blink once, but gave her a hard deep look as she muttered an incoherent curse. Moody instantly felt better as the pain began to leave his body.
"Wait here." Was all Hermione said.
Turning she ran to the other Mad-Eye which still would not drink the water. "Vicktor the other's an imposter. He drank the water." Krum eyed her in a funny way. "Here Professor, I've got you." Hermione took the imposter and held him in a standing position. "Vicktor, you won't mind finishing the job would you?" She nodded her head at the real Moody.
"Gladly." he replied, cracking his knuckles. "and you won't mind bringing the body somewhere else now would you? We won't want that imposter confusing anyone else."
Krum made his way toward the real Moody. He bent down and offered him his hand though he made sure his back covered the imposters view.
"Work with me. Play dead." he paused. "Tell me what to do." He muttered softly. Alastor stared at him with a non-trusting eye. Finally the man muttered.
"Look around carefully." Krum glance around. "Note that there are many entrances to the center of the maze. I want you to take the exit to the left, behind us…" Saying that the man crouched over, and played his part.
The imposter watched from a distance, noting that Krum covered his view of the other Moody. Then slowly Krum stood up and he caught a glimpse of the dead man. Hermione too noticed this and she began to worry that Krum had actually taken out what she had not meant.
Krum made his way out of the left exit. He walked a while before Moody stirred and moved. He let go of him and the two stared at each other for a long time.
"I need to go back and make sure Hermione is alright." Krum finally said. Alastor did not reply so he turned to leave.
"Enter from the entrance directly behind the imposter. I'm going back."
Krum watched the man go further into the maze away from the center. He watched him until the man disappeared around the corner.
Vicktor closed his eyes and pictured the center of the maze. His eyes ran through the exits/entrances. He tried to imagine where the real Moody would enter. By the path he took, it would be the one which would instantly catch the imposter's attention. He wondered why he would want to do that. Still he knew better then to question the man.
Krum stared at the scene from the shadows. The real Moody approached the imposter with a smile plaster onto his face.
"You nearly killed me Granger." Hermione looked uneasy. "But I knew better then to trust Krum, a pawn working for Thomas."
Anger boiled in Krum. He had just saved that man's life and now he was talking like that about him.
"and now Hermione kill the imposter or are you part of this all along? Part of the whole plan in 'Let see who can kill Alastor Moody."
Mad-Eye reached out and tried to roughly grab the imposter's wand hand. However the imposter slipped away from him. Hermione was swung off balance and her wand taken away from her. The imposter stood before the two holding his own and the newly acquired wand directly at both of them.
"Krum is worthless. He killed Karkaroff. If he was here, you might have a chance of killing me. However you will never see your imposter's face Alastor."
"Avada Kedavra" Mad-Eye took a hold of Hermione's hand. He knew it was the end and wondered why he set Krum free in the first place. He believed that that man was a coward and would jump between sides.
So, he was slightly surprised when the imposter fell flat onto him. He pushed him away, before noting a smug 20 year old staring at him wand out stretched.
"Hey, I saved your gut twice, you should say something like...hmm… 'thank you'." Krum approached. Alastor shrugged.
"You're late. However you're alright kid, you're alright." Moody patted the other's shoulder.
Hermione however wasn't paying attention. She was staring at the Trophy which was emitting a strange light.
"So you all survived round two, the first of eight who may pass. Come, I am waiting." Thomas's voice came from the trophy.
The maze around them changed once more and they found themselves within the same white room.
"Illusions to be trap in your own mind, trap in an illusionary past." Alastor muttered. It was true. They could clearly see each member that had entered the room, flinging curses at nothing. There were so many of them that they were horrified to admit that they were killing each other off without knowing it. Each spell that was cast ended up hitting another person.
"Hey Professor Dumbledore isn't here." Hermione spoke up.
"No he isn't. He's got a very complex mind and these mind games haven't affected him. He broke out quite easily." Thomas' voice surrounded the room, though they could not see him. There were three soft sighs. "So instead he's making up the lost time between him and my godfather." If Thomas had thought this was more reassuring, it wasn't. The last time Dumbledore and Black fought, they were merely equivalent in power.
"In the meantime proceed to the next room and in time I will greet you personally."
"So now you may ask why in the world am I sharing this with you? What is the point?" Black waived off the memories. Dumbledore nodded silently.
"To drag along time, to waste time, to keep your attention somewhere else while your men battle it out."
Dumbledore's eyes widen.
"You easily overcame the mind games." Black turned to leave. "Perhaps this is for the best. You'll need all the rest you can get when you do meet my godson."
An open door appeared before Black.
"Sirius I...I should have been there for you. However its not too late for redemption."
"I'm past redemption. I gladly await death." Black chuckled suddenly. "Albus thank youu for letting me share this with you."
Dumbledore inclined his head.
"However I will never forgive you."
"Sirius, please..."
"Oh yes one more thing." With a quick movement, Black spun around and cast a spell, surprising the headmaster. "Oblivate."
